A flag associated with Christian nationalism and seen outside the homes and offices of figures in the highest levels of governmentis once again making headlines.
The flag in question – a white banner with a green pine tree and the phrase "An Appeal to Heaven" – was hung outside the office of a Department of Education official,according to the agency's union and a department employee who observed it.
Though the flag originates from the Revolutionary War era, it has reemerged in recent years as a "Christian-coded, far-right symbol" tied toPresident Donald Trump'sMAGA movement, according to American University ProfessorMatthew Taylor.
The recent controversy follows other high-profile uses of the flag, includingits appearance at the home of conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitoand in theJan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Here's what to know about the "Appeal to Heaven" flag:
What is the flag's history?
The flag first emerged on the eve of the Revolutionary War, when it was flown on ships under George Washington's command. The phrase comes froma treatise by John Lockeabout living under an unjust ruler, in which he wrote that their subjects must "appeal to Heaven" in the absence of earthly remedies.
"We'll go to war and let God sort it out, is what's being conveyed by that phrase," Taylor said. But little attention was paid to the flag after the Revolutionary War.
That changed when the New Apostolic Reformation, a network of evangelical Christian leaders that formed in the 1990s, emerged more than two centuries later with a "very high-octane vision of spiritual warfare."
The underlying idea is that angels and demons are in an ongoing and invisible battle in the spiritual realm, where humans can participate through spiritual practices, such as prayer.
The notion was taken to new heights around 2015, Taylor said. That's when the self-proclaimed Christian apostle Dutch Sheets, who was part of the 1990s movement,launched a mass campaign for a spiritual revolutioncentered on the "Appeal to Heaven" flag.
It was happening around the same time Trump was entering the political fold as a candidate in the 2016 election, which Taylor said contributed to the symbol becoming associated with both spiritual warfare and the MAGA movement.
By the time of the 2020 election, those associations had become "locked into place," and religious figures tied to the New Apostolic Reformation wereamong the most vocal supporters of Trump.
Numerous rioters held the flag as they stormed the U.S. Capitol in support of Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. Taylor described the flag at that point as a "Christian nationalist handshake" that was meaningful to the in-group but largely unknown to the broader public.
Who else has been associated with the flag?
In recent years, though, the flag has resurfaced from obscurity as it became tied to several high-profile leaders.
Republican House SpeakerMike Johnsonhas displayed the flag outside his Washington office, for example, and it wasflown at Alito's beach housein 2023.
Both later sought to distance themselves from the flag's perceived implications.
Johnsontold the Associated Presshe was unaware of the flag's association with the "Stop the Steal" movement. Alito, ina letter refusing to recuse himself from casesinvolving the 2020 presidential election or the Jan. 6 attack, said he "was not aware of any connection between that historic flag and the 'Stop the Steal Movement,' and neither was my wife."
Former Vice PresidentMike Pencedefended the flag, calling the Alito controversy "absurd and anti-historical." Pence saidin an X postthat the flag is part of "our proud heritage of Faith and Freedom," and "every American should be proud to fly it."
Displaying the flag doesn't necessarily mean a person is "in lockstep" with the New Apostolic Reformation, Taylor said, adding that the flag has emerged from the niche pockets that first embraced it to become a larger symbol of "generic Christian Trump support and desire for spiritual revolution."
What is Christian nationalism?
Christian nationalism refers to a "belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way,"according to scholar Paul Miller.
Christian nationalists believe broadly in the orthodox and theological beliefs of Christianity, Andrew Whitehead, an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis,previously told USA TODAY.
Many believe in erasingthe boundaries between church and state, Whitehead added, which can range from thinking religion should play a larger role in government to believing a president is an agent of the divine.
In practice, and particularly in its most modern form, Christian nationalism also comes with other cultural beliefs and values that typically center around Christian, straight, White, cisgender people in America, Whitehead said.
Yale sociologist Philip Gorski, author of "The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy," has argued that White Christian nationalism dates back to at least the colonial era and was used to justify slavery.
Some experts have grown increasingly concerned about the modern usage of the flag, given its embrace by top political leaders and a growing extremist wing within the movement.
Contributing:Zachary Schermele, Maureen Groppe and Will Carless, USA TODAY;Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What is the 'Appeal to Heaven' flag? A historic flag linked to Jan. 6
